Directed by: Daniel Attias, John Crowley, Justin Lin, Janus Metz, Jeremy Podeswa, Miguel Sapochnik
Distributed by: HBO
Written by Alexander Reams
93/100
Where does one go once the mountaintop has been reached? This question must have plagued Nic Pizzolatto’s mind after the universal success of “True Detective’s” Season 1, “The Long Bright Dark.” His answer? To go in the opposite direction of its predecessor. “Bright Dark” focuses on a small number of characters over a long period of time in the southern backwoods, “True Detective: The Western Book of the Dead” focuses on a mosaic of characters over a shorter period of time (approximately three months) in the fictional town of Vinci, California. This decision was immediately set up for critics to carve up; everyone fell in love with the model that had already been presented, myself included. However, it’s been seven years since its original run, and going through “Bright Dark” and immediately starting “Western Book” made it feel like the shows were communicating with each other. The subject matters that Pizzolatto found success with are the grimy parts of life, sex, narcotics, and even religion, and he shows the people who exploit those parts and why. The answer is, with a lot of problems, money. Whereas evil’s normality in daily life was a part of the DNA in the show’s first outing, “Western Book ” is holistically invested in greed. While it is a simpler thematic motif to convey, it does allow for it to be spread throughout each character. Which yields full fleshed-out characters each with well-developed arcs, and with a lead ensemble of this caliber, it’s necessary.
Vinci PD Detective Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell) is a model detective; he has a distant relationship with his son; he’s in the pocket of corrupt businessman Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn) and uses and abuses the badge at will. A man who is always at a 10 with his emotions without the lashouts that usually accompany that. He talks to himself to maintain some semblance of “sanity” while he readily relies on various narcotics and vices to maintain his lifestyle. To the point of regularly sleeping in the bar he frequents. Frank’s life isn’t any smoother, with the recent disappearance of his business partner, Ben Caspere, who conveniently had all of the important legal documents entitling Semyon to a cut of the business. When Caspere’s body is eventually found, in fantastically gruesome fashion (another staple of the show), Velcoro is called and is introduced to the other detectives he’ll be working with, Detective Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams) and CPD Officer Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch). Their first meet is shot in such a throwback way that it feels “cool.” Panning shots cut to the beat of Nick Cave’s cover of “All the Gold in California.” By the end of the first episode, it’s clear Pizzolatto isn’t doing a rehash of “Bright Dark,” and the season is all the more refreshing because of it.
The addition of characters such as Bezzerides, a detective who has no corruption but a truly appalling personal life, is somewhat of a thematic retread of Marty Hart, but it’s because of McAdams’ understanding of Pizzolatto’s vision that the failures, and characters, feel different. McAdams easily carries the baggage that Bezzerides wears on her sleeve, and her rapport with Farrell’s Velcoro more than sells their later “relationship.” Then there’s Woodrugh, a representation of masculinity within law enforcement and repressed sexuality that is handled with respect and dignity. Kitsch clearly understood the purpose of his character and that sexuality is not his character’s personality, but it is a part of it, and the appearance of Gabriel Luna was the perfect choice as someone to draw him into that moral crossroads. These layers continue to revolve around Velcoro’s decisions; he has the most commanding presence on screen, and Farrell’s gravitas and charisma easily lull the viewer into believing that the story revolves around him. His pride and refusal of anything thrown at him, even the thought that he might not be the father of his son, are engrossing character traits. Farrell maintains the level of insecurity required with the menace of a hyena trapped in a corner, which, in short, is masterful to behold.
The further each episode brings us to the mid-season point, the slower things feel. Every episode is a slow burn, with some scenes dedicated solely to set the mood that a character is in. Vaughn does exceptionally well at these, and he captures the sadness and rage that Semyon holds on to so well that it brings all the more intrigue to the world he created. Ultimately, the first half of “Western Book” reflects on its theme much differently than the car musings audiences were acquainted with. Each character has their own method of this, Woodrugh with his bike, Velcoro with drinking, and Bezzerides with her job, each coming to an end in some form or fashion in “Down Will Come,” this season’s turning point. With “Who Goes There” (Episode 4 of “Bright Dark”) being an iconic moment in television storytelling, expectations would, and should be appropriately high.
While this time isn’t as groundbreaking, Pizzolatto and episode director Jeremy Podeswa focus on the collateral damage caused by these big law enforcement shootouts, and it is one of the harder scenes to watch in modern television because of that. These three people caused the lives of hundreds of people to either be harmed or killed in service of their jobs. Its graphic nature shouldn’t surprise for a show that constantly pushed the boundaries in terms of content, but the carnage that is crafted hangs over everything. This leads to a surprise time jump. Only two months, but it allows space from the carnage and time to meet our characters at different places. Velcoro, Woodrugh, and Bezzerides are a good trio during investigation parts of the show, but when it’s just Semyon and Velcoro, it reaches its pinnacle. The standoff between the two showcases the glorious performing talents of Farrell and Vaughn and begs the question of why Vaughn doesn’t do more villainous roles like Semyon.
Before “Night Country,” “True Detective: The Western Book of the Dead” was the most reviled season of the show. Different doesn’t mean bad, and with nearly eight years since its airing, this writer is surprised there hasn’t been a reevaluation of this gritty mosaic of California. It’s another fantastic season that brings an intriguing story to life and fantastic work out of Farrell, Vaughn, McAdams, and Kitsch.
“True Detective” Season 2 Trailer
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